Things You Save in a Fire

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
Fiction
2019 St. Martin's Press
Finished on February 23, 2020
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.

I've never read anything by Katherine Center, but I was drawn to this book's eye-catching cover while perusing the New Release shelf at the library. I was pretty sure I had read a few positive reviews for the novel on Goodreads, so I quickly added it to my stack. I had a few books on my nightstand that I wanted to read first, so this lingered there until a few days ago. I settled in and read the first chapter, but it wasn't doing anything for me and I almost quit. Cassie, Center's protagonist, reminded me of Janet Evanovich's comical character, Stephanie Plum. The writing felt a little too fluffy and having just come off a strong, literary novel (The Snow Child), I wasn't prepared to switch gears and start in on what felt like a beach read. But I also didn't want to return the book without giving it a chance, so later that night I began the second chapter and got sucked in. I wound up reading over a hundred pages before finally turning out the light. I was hooked!

Reminiscent of Jojo Moyes' Me Before You trilogy, Things You Save in a Fire is a solid, feel-good read. I enjoyed the romance, in spite of the predictability of Cassie and Owen's relationship, but I also appreciate getting a glimpse into the life of a firefighter. Cassie may have reminded me somewhat of Stephanie Plum, but the themes in this novel are more serious than those in Evanovich's mysteries. Not only will I seek out more books from Katherine Center's backlist, but I can wholeheartedly recommend this book when asked for suggestions for a good comfort read.